BUTTERFLY TO FLOWER - PERFECT MATCH?

Submitted by Jeff Buster on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 14:21.


"It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic,

Of all things physical and metaphysical,

Of all things human and all things super-human,

Of all true manifestations of the head,

Of the heart, of the soul,

That the life is recognizable in its expression,

That form ever follows function. This is the law.”

Louis H. Sullivan, 1896  from Wikipedia “form follows function”

 

The Cream-spotted Tigerwing butterfly (feeding on flowers in the canopy level of the Cleveland Botanical Garden) seems custom-made for this red flower.   The length of the outstretched “arms” that reach to the far side of the flower petal are proportioned so as to perfectly center the butterfly’s nectar sucking proboscis in the throat of the flower.  And the “legs”  that support the butterfly are attached to the butterfly offset from the “arms” leaving just the amount of space necessary to allow the body of the insect to clear the lip of the flower petal.

 

Can you think of any improvements? 

 

 On what other flowers does this butterfly feed?   Is there a FFF “law”, or does this photo just coincidentally capture a tight but accidental “fit”?

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